cycling for beginners

cycling for beginners

So you want to start cycling, but you may feel a bit overwhelmed at where to begin. Do not fear, we all need to begin somewhere, and this blog will show beginners the way to get started, and this blog was written primarily with you in mind. This is Part 1 of cycling for beginners.

IS THIS YOU?
Someone who is unsure of what gear to get?

Someone needing more information on the basics of road biking?

Someone wanting to get past the basics and onto racing?

cycling for beginners – Budgets

The first step to cycling is setting a budget. How much money are you willing to spend on this sport? The Bike will be the most expensive purchase because of components, materials of the bike frame and also the brands. If you are just wanting to get your feet wet as a beginner and you do not want to get involved in cycling races, then a lower budget of 500-1000 dollars is what you are aiming for, and this blog is going is primarily written with you in mind.

cycling for beginners – Bike Shops

A bike or cycling shop is going to be a great place for you to test out the different styles of bikes that are on the market. Hopefully the sales staff will be knowledgeable to help fit you to a bike. It is of utmost importance that you get the correct size of bike, and also have the proper adjustments made to it. Everyone is different when it comes to where the handlebars need to be positioned all the way down to the pedals. Google local bike or cycling shops and call them. Find out if they do adjustments to their bikes and also what level of service you will be getting with them. If you plan on staying in cycling for the long term, these will be great places to find others to ride with (we will get more into that later).

There are several different types of bikes to choose from as well: The Road Bike, Mountain Bike, Hybrid Bike. I am most focused on the Road and Hybrid Bike categories. Both of these bikes will allow the best experience of riding on the road. If you like gravel trails, then the hybrid and mountain bikes would be best. This and the next few posts are dedicated to the beginners wanting a road bike experience.

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cycling for beginners – Buying the Bike

After you have went and tried out the different bikes at your local bike or cycling shop. The next step is to buy a bike. You may have noticed that the prices jumped from low 800’s to several 1000’s, and as I said earlier, this is due to the different qualities of components, materials of the bike frame, and also the different brands. Once you know what size of a bike frame to get, you can either purchase it from the bike shop (they will be more than happy to adjust the bike for free), or you can browse online bike and cycling stores and pick from them. If you choose the online route you may save some money, but also the bike may show up in pieces (shipping a bike requires taking it apart to pack it in boxes). If the bike shows up this way, you still can take it over to your local bike or cycling shop and for a fee, they will put it together for you, and then adjust it to you.
cycling for beginners – Buying the Gear

Now that you own your bike, you also need to purchase gear to ride your bike. I will provide two different guides to purchasing gear. A minimalistic guide for the beginner, and a more extensive guide in a later blog.

cycling for beginners – Minimalistic Gear

1. Biking Helmet (get your head size, and either order online or in the store)

2. Water Bottles (easy to drink out of water bottles, normally a bottle you can open with your teeth.)

3. If you bought a road bike with normal pedals:
a. Get padded shorts, or even padded briefs. These are a life saver for your crotch. The hard bike seat will seriously be uncomfortable if you do not invest in one of these products.
b. Biking Gloves with padded grips: This will help absorb road vibration that could put your hands to sleep or cause a small numbness.

4. If you bought a road bike with clip in pedals:
a. Biking shoes with the proper clips (we will get into why these are preferred in a later post)

cycling for beginners – Go Riding

Now that you have your bike and gear, it’s time for you to hit the roads. I hope this cycling for beginners guide helped you understand briefly how to get involved in the amazing world of cycling. As you develop skill and confidence on the bike, please come back and visit this blog for more tips and trainings that will increase your enjoyment of this sport.

See you on the road,

Clinton Morris – a cyclist and AdvoCare distributor

P.S. Have you thought about getting back into shape? Take the 24 day challenge, you will be glad you did.

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